WH-1000XM3

Thanks very much for this detailed writeup! I reached many of the same conclusions about the XM5s that you wrote above. There were also other things that I liked more about the XM3s and XM4s. One is their slightly wider, flatter headband that was more comfortable for me to wear on an extended basis. I also preferred how the XM3/XM4 earcups attached to the frame. They felt and looked more solid to me as well as permitting those headphones to be folded down. Finally, I think the mechanical design of the XM3/XM4 earcup attachment just leads to a stronger, more modern, and more pleasing visual aesthetic in my eyes. The XM5s just look a bit more fragile and retro to my eyes.

I am still rocking a pair of XM3's and I am torn between rewarding Sony for the excellent service they have given me for 5+ years now and the price of the XM5's in my country. I am only now just starting to get a bit of static noise in the right ear of the XM3's and from my experience that is a warning they are on the way out. Would you reward a company for the excellent product your previously bought from them even if you don't agree with the price of the newer model? The noise cancelling aspect is very important and I believe they are still up there as one of the best NC headphones on the market.

I don't know where this 'most people's hinges break' stuff is coming from. I am still using a pair of XM3's that are 7 years old now. I think that might be a careless person problem more than a product problem.

Well, good to know that I am not missing out on anything. I bought the XM6 for Christmas as I had a bunch of air time upcoming and I did not want the 1 gen Max. The high quality carrying case that comes with the XM6 is in my opinion still one of the highlights next to the small QoL updates compared to the XM3s.

This is reminding me that my daughter went to a doctor visit the other day and some dude was playing his old rock and roll on his bone conducting headphones. He might as well have just been using the speaker phone. Everyone in the waiting room and the people working the reception desk could hear it about as well as he could. If you're an iPhone user, I highly suggest the Airpods Pro 3. The regular Airpods are hard plastic that don't seal in your ear so they are leaky by design. The Pros have a silicon tip. Nobody can hear it but you. You might like the Sony XM4 as others have said as well. I had the XM3 since 2018 and they finally broke a couple of weeks ago so they lasted quite a long time. They have great ANC but they are extremely bass forward.

Yep I have the 1st generation, bought them when they released and they’re still an absolute workhorse. These are always a top recommendation from me.